TAMPA, Fla. — At the end of September, just days before the federal government couldn’t pass a bipartisan budget, Sweetwater Organic Community Farm started getting an error while tying to process customer transactions in their SNAP EBT system. When they called the USDA for help, no one answered.
"It goes nowhere," Cindy Casterlin, the general manager of Sweetwater Community Farm said. "Nobody's going to call you back, nobody's going to contact you. They are down for the count until this shutdown is over."
Casterlin says the so-called "glitch" in the system can’t be troubleshooted or fixed because workers at the USDA are off the job, essentially cutting off food assistance to vulnerable families who shop at the farm. And, it comes mere weeks before their busy growing season.
WATCH: Shutdown and shut out: A Tampa farm locked out of SNAP EBT can’t contact USDA
"If someone with any power watches this, what would your message be?" Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska asked.
"Look at who gets hurt. These are vulnerable people, and these decisions directly impact them in a really negative way," Casterlin said.
"If it's not resolved by your opening weekend, which is the first weekend of November. What would it mean for sales of produce, for people coming in, if the government is still shut down, will families be impacted with the amount of food that they can get and buy?” Paluska asked.
"Yes. It means, first of all, they have to have an alternate form of payment. They won't be able to use SNAP benefits. And you have to remember, in order to even be eligible for SNAP benefits, you're already food vulnerable, right? You know you already have a lower income that allows you to get this benefit. These are not people. They're going to have three months saved away in a bank account in case something goes wrong. They don't have that kind of emergency slush fund. So that already puts them in a critical situation. They were already there."
The timing couldn't be worse. Families are losing access not just to SNAP benefits, but also to Fresh Access Bucks, a USDA-funded program that doubles the purchasing power of SNAP dollars at farmers markets.
"FAB is a double your bucks program directly tied to SNAP. You spent $40, but you got $80 worth of product," Casterlin said.
As politicians continue pointing fingers over the shutdown, Casterlin feels helpless and frustrated but remains determined to fight for her customers.
"We're playing chicken with each other, and we have real people that are going to suffer because we can't seem to get this figured out," Casterlin said.
The farm generates 20% of its revenue from SNAP purchases, making this a significant financial blow during its peak season.
"We've been here 30 years, and we've weathered more than a government shutdown, but I don't think we should have to suffer at all because elected officials can't get it together," Casterlin said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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